1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a hinge and a wire extending through the hinge and further relates to eyeglasses, such as electrooptic eyeglasses, including a hinge through which one or more, preferably a set, of conductors extend to connect electrical components such as an electrical circuit and power supply to an eyeglass lens, thereby causing the lens to change an optical characteristic such as, for example, color, opaqueness, transmisivity or other optical property.
2. Description of the Background Art
Eyeglasses typically include a frame in which a pair of eyeglass lenses are mounted, a pair of temples and a pair of hinges pivotally interconnecting the frame and the temples. Each hinge typically includes a tang extending outwardly from one end of the eyeglass frame, a clevis provided on one end of a temple and including a pair of spaced apart and generally parallel clevis members, and a pivot pin. The tang is provided with a pivot pin through hole and the clevis members are provided with a pair of axially aligned pivot pin through holes. The clevis members are placed around the tang, the through holes axially aligned and the connector pin is inserted into the aligned through holes to pivotally interconnect the tang and clevis. A "barrel type" eyeglass hinge is similar except it contains multiple tangs interleaved with clevises.
Eyeglasses are known in the art including electrooptical eyeglass lenses which are provided with or comprise an optical element which changes an optical characteristic, such as opaqueness, color, transmisivity, or other optical property, upon an electrical signal or electric charge being applied to the eyeglass lens. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 04,756,605, entitled LIQUID CRYSTAL SPECTACLES, patented Jul. 12, 1988, Okada et al. inventors, discloses spectacles having a pair of liquid crystal lenses, a frame, a pair of temples and a pair of hinges pivotally interconnecting the temples and the frame of the spectacles. A regulator circuit is provided in each temple and a regulator circuit is connected to the eyeglass lenses through a pair of conductors with the conductor extending through the brow of the spectacle frame and with the conductor extending through the rim of the spectacle frame. The conductors are connected to transparent electrodes and when voltage from the regulator circuit is applied to the electrodes, the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layers gradually change their direction of orientation toward (i.e., become perpendicular to) the transparent plate. Thus, the refractive indices of liquid crystal layers, with respect to incident light, can be changed in succession.
Other eyeglasses are known in the art which include electrochromic eyeglass lenses or wherein a transparent layer of electrochromic material is applied to the eyeglass lenses. Upon electrical charge being applied to such electrochromic lenses, the lenses change in transmittance property. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,851 entitled "IRRIDIUM OXIDE FILM FOR ELECTROCHROMIC DEVICE", issued to Yu et al. on May 26, 1996, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The incorporation of such electronics into eyeglasses has produced a new need in the art. Unless all of the electronics, including the electrical signal generating circuit and the power supply, are placed between the hinge and the eyeglass frame, electrical connections between the electronics and the eyeglass lens must be made by traversing the hinge. Electrical connections traversing the hinge could provide only temporary electrical connection between the electronics and the lens which is lost when the frame is closed, or such electrical connections could be provided by sliding wiper contact which is lost momentarily as the wipers slide, or such electrical connections could be permanently connected wires extending between the electronics and the eyeglass lens. For reliability, permanent connection by wires, or electrical conductors, between the electronics and the lens is preferred. Further, since such permanent wired connections require the wired electrical conductors to traverse the hinge, it is preferable that the wires not experience a concentrated bending moment when the eyeglasses are alternately opened and closed because such repeated concentrated bending moments can result in breakage or shearing of the wires or electrical conductors.
Running the wires or electrical conductors past a hinge or pivot point between a temple and the eyeglass frame introduces several problems. If the wires, or conductors, run to the outside of the hinge or pivot point, the wires or conductors are stretched when the temples are closed on the eyeglass frame. If the wires or conductors are on the inside of the hinge or pivot point, the wires or conductors are stretched when the temples are opened away from the eyeglass frames. If the wires or conductors are on the outside of the hinge or pivot point and made long enough to not be under tension when the temples are closed on the eyeglass frame, the wires or conductors are then compressed and could be kinked when the eyeglass frame is opened and the temples pivoted away from the eyeglass frame.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a hinge having one or more wires, such as one or more electrical conductors, extending therethrough which overcomes the above-noted problems in the art particularly as experienced in eyeglass frames as set forth above.
Copending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/211,787 discloses a hinge for electrooptic devices which places a torsional stress on conductive wires passing through the hinge.